New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie orders government shutdown

From CBS News:

TRENTON, N.J. (CBS NEWS) -- New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and the Democrat-led Legislature are returning to work to try to resolve the state's first government shutdown since 2006 and the first under Christie. 

The Republican governor and the Democrat-led Legislature failed to reach an agreement on a new budget by the deadline at midnight Friday, CBS New York reports

In a news conference Saturday morning, Christie blamed Democratic State Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto for causing the shutdown.

"If there's not a resolution to this today, everyone will be back tomorrow," Christie said, calling the shutdown "embarrassing and pointless." He also repeatedly referred to the government closure as "the speaker's shutdown." 

Christie later announced that he would address the full legislature later at the statehouse on Saturday. Prieto and state senate leaders planned to hold separate news conferences too.

Christie ordered nonessential services to close beginning Saturday. New Jerseyans were feeling the impact as the shutdown took effect, shuttering state parks and disrupting ferry service to Liberty and Ellis islands.

Among those affected were a group of Cub Scouts forced to leave a state park campsite and people trying to obtain or renew documents from the state motor vehicle commission, among the agencies closed by the shutdown.

Police were turning away vehicles and bicyclists at Island Beach state park in Ocean County. A sign posted at the park entrance featured a photo of Prieto and the phone number of his district office in Secaucus, along with the caption: "This facility is CLOSED because of this man."

Click for more on the story courtesy of CBS News.


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